Deplorable conditions in night shelters force city’s homeless to sleep on the streets
NEW DELHI: Pollution, smog and fluctuating temperatures make sleeping a terrifying daily challenge for most of the dispossessed people in the city.
The homeless in Delhi struggle every year to find a suitable place to sleep. With that in mind, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has decided to take steps to aid the homeless and to support the needy and deprived in the city. Further, the Commission has stated that Delhi requires more night shelters and not nightclubs.
After visiting three night shelters in Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid areas last year, and spending a night at the Jama Masjid night shelter, DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal and her team observed the pitiable conditions of the shelters and claimed that the night shelters in the city are extremely unsafe for women. Several shortcomings in security arrangements were also found.
“Delhi needs better night shelters, not night life. We should concentrate more on developing night shelters,” said Maliwal. She further added that the “homeless people or people who are not able to exercise their voice within the systems should be a priority and should be helped first.”
A majority of night shelters in Delhi are reported to be unsanitary. There are very few toilets, with no separate ones for women. Furthermore, male and female shelters are adjacent to each other in the same complex, with no security restrictions. Water scarcity in the shelters is another big issue. Conversely, night clubs have proper security arrangements and hygienic surroundings. Earlier, women at night shelters near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib had apprised Maliwal of the absence of safety measures at the shelter, when she had visited the place last year. The Commission also assured legal action against molesters at night shelters.
With lives of the people – especially women – living in night shelters remaining grim and night clubs becoming larger and growing in number, there is a need for improving the condition and number of night shelters in the city.
To counter the dearth of night shelters, small affordable lodgings with beds and lockers at modest rents, for working men and women, is a viable option.